| Name | Phone | Location | MealTime | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dale Ministries | 647-926-6352 | 201 Cowan Ave | Takeaway Meals only Mon 1pm, Thurs 10am | NA |
| Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) | 416-537-2262 | 1499 Queen St. W. | Mon-Thurs 9:30am-10:30pm, Fri 1-2pm, Sat-Sun 11:15-12:15pm | Showers, Harm reduction supplies, clothing, computers, WiFi, phones |
| St. Francis Table | 416-532-4172 | 1322 Queen St W | Mon 4:30-6pm, Tues-Thurs 12-1pm 4:30-6pm, Fri and Sun 12-1pm | NA |
| St. Felix 24-Hour Respite | 416-203-1624 | 69 Fraser Ave. | Takeaway Meals only | NA |
| Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church | 416-532-3729 | 250 Dunn Ave. | Takeaway Meals Only 3rd Sun of the month at 3pm | NA |
| Masaryk-Cowan Centre | 416-392-6928 | 220 Cowan Ave. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Allan A. Lamport Stadium | 416-392-1366 | 1155 King St. W. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Native Youth Resource Centre | 416-969-8510 | 655 Bloor St. W. | Mon-Fri 9am, 12-1pm, 5-6pm | Internet, WiFi, phones |
| Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre | 416-792-8941 x221 | 854 Bloor St. W. | Mon-Fri 10-11am, 12-1pm | Computers, Laundry & showers (call to book) |
| Sistering | 416-926-9762 | 962 Bloor St. W. | 12-2pm, 7-9pm | Showers available during opening hours, Harm reduction supplies, Phone, WiFi, Laundry (during opening hours) |
| Westmoreland Parkette | NA | 760 Dovercourt Rd. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Church of St. Stephen in-the-Fields | 416-526-5438 | 103 Bellevue Ave. | Fri 6-10pm, Sat and Sun 7-8:30am | WiFi |
| Evergreen Centre for Youth | 416-929-9614 | 365 Spadina Ave. | Mon-Thurs 12-1pm, 4-5pm (except Fri) | Harm reduction supplies, computers, phones |
| The Scott Mission | 416-923-8872 x202 | 502 Spadina Ave. | Mon-Sat (Sat takeout only) 8-9:30am and 10am-12pm, Sun (takeout only) 8am, 12pm | Showers (8-11am), Laundry (8-10:30am), Clothing |
| The Corner Drop-in. | 416-925-2103 x2260 | 260 Augusta Ave. | Mon-Fri and Sun 7:30am and 10:45am | Showers Mon-Fri, 7:30-10:30am, Sun, |
| 8-10:30am, Harm reduction supplies, Laundry (Mon-Fri and Sun 8-9:45am), WiFi, computers, phone | ||||
| Evangel Hall | 416-504-3563 | 552 Adelaide St. W. | Mon-Fri 10:30am-12:30pm, Sun 5-6pm | Showers Mon-Fri 9am-12:30pm, Laundry, Clothing (2nd and 4th Wed) |
| St. Thomas’s Church | 416-979-2323 | 383 Huron St. | Takeaway Meal Service only Fri 6-7pm | NA |
| Toronto Lawyers Feed the Hungry | 416-947-3412 | 130 Queen St W. | Tues and Wed 5pm, Thurs 6:45am, Sun 10am | NA |
| The Meeting Place | 416-532-4828 | 588 Queen St. W. | Sat 12:30-2:30pm | Showers during opening hours, Harm reduction supplies, Laundry, Computers, Phone |
| YMCA: Wagner Green | 647-632-2500 | 7 Vanauley St. | Mon-Fri 9-10am, 11am-12pm, 3pm (snack), 4pm | Showers by appointment only, Computers, Laundry |
| St. Andrew’s OOTC | 416-593-5600 | 73 Simcoe St. | Mon 5-7 pm (until March 25), Tues 7-8:30am | Clothing (Tues morning) |
| Holy Rosary OOTC | 416-923-8471 | 354 St. Clair Ave. W. | 12-1pm (until March 16) | NA |
| Blythwood OOTC, Outreach at Nathan Phillips Square | NA | 100 Queen St W | Takeaway Meal Service only on Sat 2:30-4pm | NA |
| Harrison Pool | 416-392-7984 | 15 Stephanie St. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Trinity Community Centre | 416-392-0743 | 155 Crawford St. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Trinity Bellwoods Park | NA | 790 Queen St W. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Clarence Square | NA | 25 Clarence Square | NA | Portable toilets |
| Church of the Holy Trinity | 416-598-4521 | 19 Trinity Square | Takeaway Meal Service only Tues-Wed, 12-1:30pm | Clothing, Harm reduction supplies, Hygiene kits |
| St. James Cathedral | 416-364-7865 x222 | 65 Church St. | Fri 1:30-3:30pm | NA |
| Church of the Redeemer | 416-922-4948 | 162 Bloor St. W. | NA | NA |
| The 519 | 416-392-6874 | 519 Church St. | Tues (trans only) 6-7:30pm, Sun 4-4:45pm | Harm reduction supplies, Emergency clothing |
| Fred Victor: Women’s 24-7 Drop-in | 416-364-7739 | 67 Adelaide St. E. | Takeaway Meal Service only 7 days per wk (8:15am, 12pm, 6pm) | NA |
| Sanctuary | 416-922-0628 | 25 Charles St. E. | Tues 11am-3pm and Thurs 5-9pm | Showers during meal times, Harm reduction supplies, WiFi |
| Covenant House | 416-598-4898 | 20 Gerrard St. E. | Mon-Fri 12-7pm, Snacks 24-7 | Showers available during opening hours; Computers; Nurse |
| Met United OOTC | 416-363-0331 | 56 Queen St. E. | Fri 9:30-11:30am | NA |
| St. Basil’s OOTC | 416-926-7110 | 50 St. Joseph St. | Mon and Tues 11:30am-12:30pm | NA |
| Wellesley Community Centre | 416-392-0227 | 495 Sherbourne St. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Rosedale Valley | NA | 500 Rosedale Valley Rd. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Union Station | NA | 65 Front St. | NA | Washrooms |
| All Saints Church-Community Centre | 416-368-7768 | 315 Dundas St. E. | Mon-Thurs 9:30am, 12:30pm, Wed 6pm | Snacks during opening hours, Harm reduction supplies, Nurse, WiFi, Computers, Phone |
| Fred Victor | 416-364-8228 | 145 Queen St. E. | Takeaway Meal Service only Mon-Fri 11am, 4pm | NA |
| Council Fire | 416-360-4350 | 439 Dundas St. E. | 7 days per wk, 9:30-10am and 1-1:30pm | NA |
| Fred Victor CRC | 416-363-4234 | 40 Oak St. | Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, 12-1pm | NA |
| Haven Toronto | 416-366-5377 | 170 Jarvis St. | 7 days per wk 8:15-9:15 am, 12:15-1:15pm | Showers during opening hours, Clothing, Nurse, Dentist |
| Margaret’s | 416-463-1481 x218 | 323 Dundas St. E. | 7 days per wk 7-8:30am, 11am-12pm | Phone, Doctor |
| Salvation Army Gateway | 416-368-8710 | 160 Jarvis St. | Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun, 5-5:30pm | NA |
| St. Luke’s OOTC | 416-924-9619 | 353 Sherbourne St. | Wed and Sun, 5-7pm | NA |
| John Innes Community Recreation Centre | 416-392-6779 | 150 Sherbourne St. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Regent Park CHC | 416-203-4506 | 465 Dundas St. E. | NA | Showers, Washrooms, Laundry |
| Allan Gardens | NA | 160 Gerrard St. E. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Moss Park. | NA | 140 Sherbourne St. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Regent Park | NA | 600 Dundas St. E. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Good Shepherd | 416-869-3619 | 412 Queen St. E. | 7 days per wk, 2-4pm | Clothing |
| Fontbonne Ministries - Mustard Seed | 416-465-6069 | 791 Queen St. E. | Fri-Sun 11:30am-1pm | Snack during opening hours, Clothing Fri 10am-1pm |
| St. John the Compassionate | 416-466-1357 | 155 Broadview Ave. | Tues 6-8:30am, Wed 6-8:30am and 5pm, Thurs and Fri 6-8:30am and 1:30pm | NA |
| Friends of Ruby | 416-359-0237 | 489 Queen St. E. | NA | Harm reduction supplies, WiFi |
| South Riverdale Community Health Centre | 416-461-1925 | 955 Queen St. E. | NA | Harm reduction supplies |
| East End United OOTC | 416-461-7797 | 310 Danforth Ave. | Fri 6-7:30pm and Sat 8-8:30am | Clothing, Haircuts (monthly), Overnight shelter (30 beds, abstinence based) |
| St. Ann’s OOTC | 416-466-2127 | 120 First Ave. | Thurs 3:30-4:30pm (until Apr 4) | NA |
| Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre | 416-392-0751 | 870 Queen St. E. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Matty Eckler Recreation Centre | 416-392-0750 | 953 Gerrard St. E. | NA | Showers, Washrooms |
| Jimmie Simpson Park | NA | 879 Queen St. E. | NA | Portable toilets |
| Syme Woolner | 416-766-4634 | 2468 Eglinton Ave. W. | 7 days per wk, 9-10am and 12-1:30pm | Harm reduction supplies, Clothing, Computers |
| Weston King Neighbourhood Centre | 416-241-9898 | 2017 Weston Rd. | Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, 10-11am and 1-2pm, Tues 10-11am and 6-7pm, Fri 11-12pm | Showers (Wed-Fri during opening hours), Harm reduction supplies, Laundry (Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 9am-1pm), Clothing |
| Community Place Hub | 416-323-1429 | 1765 Weston Rd. | Mon-Fri 10-11:30am and 12:30-2:30pm, Wed 5-6:30pm | NA |
| Weston King: Mount Dennis | 416-572-0203 | 1269 Weston Rd. | Takeaway Meal Services only Sat 10:30am and 5:30pm, Sun 5:30pm | NA |
| Yorkminster Park OOTC | 416-922-1167 | 1585 Yonge St. | Wed 5:30-8:30pm (until Apr 5) | TTC tokens, Clothing |
| Glenview Presbyterian OOTC | 416-488-1156 | 1 Glenview Ave. | Sun 3:30-6:30pm (until March 24) | NA |
| The Stop | 416-652-7867 | 1884 Davenport Rd. | Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9-10am and 12-1pm | NA |
| Our Place Community of Hope | 416-598-2919 | 1183 Davenport Rd. | Mon-Fri, 2:30-5pm | Computers, WiFi, Phone |
| The Stop: Wychwood Open Doors | 416-412-4452 | 729 St. Clair Ave. W. | Tues 4-9:30pm, Wed 9-10am and 12-1pm, Thurs 4-5pm | Computers, WiFi |
| Davenport Perth NCHC | 416-656-8025 | 1900 Davenport Rd. | Wed 5-5:30pm | NA |
| Beth Sholom OOTC | 416-783-6103 | 1445 Eglinton Ave. W. | TBD | Clothing, TTC tokens, Nurse. |
| Cummer Avenue United Church | 416-222-5417 | 53 Cummer Ave. | Wed 9am-2pm | Showers, Clothing, Legal support (every 3rd Wed), Nurse (1-2pm) |
| LAMP | 416-252-6471 | 156 Sixth St. | Tues-Thurs 9:30am-1:30pm and Fri 10am-6pm | NA |
| Daily Bread Food Bank | 416-203-0050 | 191 New Toronto St. | Thurs, 5:30-7pm | NA |
| All Saints Kingsway OOTC | 416-233-1125 | 2850 Bloor St. W. | Fri 6-7:30pm (until March 29) | Computers, Clothing, Showers |
| Warden Woods Teesdale Drop-In | 416-500-2583 | 40 Teesdale Place | Wed and Thurs 12-1pm | NA |
| Warden Woods CC | 416-694-1138 | 74 Firvalley Ct. | NA | NA |
| ACSA North | 647-461-6912 | 4155 Sheppard Ave. | Tues-Fri 9am-3pm, Sat 9am-11pm | NA |
| ACSA South | 647-472-6912 | 202 Markham Rd. | Mon, 9am-3pm | NA |
| Casey House | 416-962-7600 | 119 Isabella St. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Fred Victor SIS | 416-644-3081 | 139 Jarvis St. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Moss Park Consumption and Treatment Site | 416-546-3984 | 134 Sherbourne St. | Serves meals | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre | 416-703-8482 | 168 Bathurst St. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre: Parkdale | 416-537-2455 | 1229 Queen St. W. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Regent Park Community Health Centre | 416-203-4506 | 465 Dundas St. E. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| KeepSIX | 416-461-1925 | 955 Queen St. E. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Street Health OPS | 416-921-8668 | 338 Dundas St. E. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Service | 416-925-2103 | 260 Augusta Ave. | NA | Supervised Consumption Site |
| The Works | 416-338-7600 | 277 Victoria St. | NA | NA |
| Warming Centre | NA | 75 Elizabeth St. | NA | NA |
| Warming Centre | NA | 15 Olive Ave. | NA | NA |
| Warming Centre | NA | 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. | NA | NA |
| Warming Centre | NA | 136 Spadina Ave. | NA | NA |
| Covenant House | 416-598-4898 | 20 Gerrard St E. | NA | 24-Hour Respite Site call Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398 |
| Scott Mission | 416-923-8872 | 502 Spadina Ave. | NA | 24-Hour Respite Site call Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398 |
| Better Living Centre | 416-263-3600 | 195 Princes’ Blvd. | NA | 24-Hour Respite Site call Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398 |
Homelessness, as defined by
Canadian Observatory on
Homelessness (COH, formerly the
Canadian Homelessness Research Network):
“describes the situation of an individual, family or community without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. It is the result of systemic or societal barriers, a lack of affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioural or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination.”1
The negative social and economic consequences of homelessness in Canada are enormous. Homelessness has in fact flourished in past few decades, largely because of a lack of government leadership. The current shelter strategy that “warehouses” the poor, keeping them “out-of-sight” and “out-of-mind”, has failed miserably. These types of “band-aide” solutions simply do not address the root causes of homelessness.
“In some ways, it is simple: Canada can choose to invest an average of $2 billion annually to save $4 billion, and bolster urban economies, keep hundreds of thousands of Canadians healthy and productive as well as ensure productive futures. Or we can simply continue with the status quo and hope that things correct themselves, although after nearly 15 years since the original 1993 federal retreat from housing, Canada has succeeded mainly in increasing homelessness.”2
In fact, the current status quo is “actually really expensive”.3 It is far cheaper and more cost effective to provide homeless people with real housing, as apposed to “band-aide” solutions like shelters, hostels, warming centres and other like-minded temporary emergency services. Current evidence based research clearly “points to the fact that if we do things differently, we not only achieve better social outcomes, but we also save money.”3 Homelessness is estimated to cost the Canadian economy 7.05 billion dollars on an annual basis.
The chronic lack of safe and affordable housing, along with the growing economic divide between rich and poor, needs to be addressed by all levels of governments. The current scatter-shot approach to mitigating or eliminating homelessness and poverty, which are inextricably linked, has produced little in the way of real positive social/economic change.
“Not repeating past mistakes should at least be a first line of defence…[such as]curtailed social assistance…punitively low minimum wage rates…tax incentives that ignore renters and those on social assistance…cutbacks to social services and health.”2
About Toronto’s Shelter System:
Information in this
report is based on a number of Shelter and Homelessness records that are
freely available for download from the City of Toronto’s
Open Data
Portal. The following is a brief overview of the main
datasets analyzed by our group, the
Voices
4 Unhoused Liberation.
(i)
Central
Intake (CI)4
is the entry point for persons in need of emergency shelter services.
People able to access CI’s 24/7 telephone line
(416-338-4766 or 1-877-338-3398) can potentially receive a
referral to an emergency shelter or other overnight
accommodations. This dataset contains records of calls received by
CI, and the outcomes of those calls (e.g. # unique
individuals who contact CI, but were not matched to a
shelter space each day). All of this information is collected by the
city of Toronto’s Shelter Management
Information System
(SMIS). Callers not matched to an available space that
suits their needs remain in the queue until they can be provided
a referral, or until the closeout process at the end of the night at
4:00 AM. These daily call counts and outcomes
(i.e. SMIS assigns codes for various outcomes) are
collected and reported on a monthly basis (i.e. monthly updates are
published on the 15th day of the following month).
CI uses 13 distinct wrap-up codes to classify
the daily calls they receive. Unfortunately, these codes only provide
information about the volume and types of calls, and do not contain
information about the outcomes of said referrals.
(ii)
Toronto
Shelter System Flow
(TSSF)5 data is compiled on
a monthly basis by the city of Toronto’s Shelter
Management Information
System (SMIS). These records show the
number of people entering (intake) or leaving (outtake) the shelter
system. Some of the terms used in these records are listed in
Table 1. Unfortunately, the current
SMIS data is limited since it does not include any
information about homeless people sleeping outdoors, or homeless people
who do not use city funded services that are apart of
SMIS. Although it is difficult to assess the exact
number of homelessness people within the city, the most recent
Street
Needs Assessment (2021) suggests that ~18% of city’s
homeless population are not included in the current data. This is likely
an under estimate of its “true” size given the severity of the
current housing and homelessness problems within the
region.5
(iii)
Daily
Shelter Overnight Service Occupancy
(DSOSO)6 records maintained
by SMIS is compiled on a daily basis. It records the
number of people who use overnight shelters and allied services within
the GTA. The data includes the identify of program
operators, as well as the locations and nature of the services they
provide.6
Unfortunately there is
little information about the amount of funding the city receives and
allocates for these different homeless programs and services. The
DSOSO dataset only mentions Funding
Capacity within the context of the “number of beds or rooms
that a program is intended [funded] to
provide”.6 Although there may be a
number of reasons why beds or rooms may be temporarily out of service
(e.g. repairs, renovations, outbreaks, or pest control) they are not
reported. These records also mention Actual Capacity,
which refers to the “number of beds or rooms in service and showing
as available for occupancy in the SMIS at time of
reporting.” This latter measure is touted as being “a more
effective capacity measure to assess program occupancy rates”.
However, the number of unavailable rooms or beds
(Note: # UNAVAILABLE BEDS =
Capacity Funding Bed - Capacity Actual
Bed) is arguable a more reliable measure of the number of
rooms/beds the currently funded system can and should provide and fill
on a daily basis. Unfortunately there appears to be very little
oversight of service providers with regards to reducing or eliminating
bed/room “unavailability”, and the draconian nature of service
restrictions they impose on their clients.
| TABLE 1. CENTRAL INTAKE CALL CENTRE FEATURES | |||
| Term4 | Definition4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Data recorded up until “close-out”, which is completed at 4:00 AM, is included in the daily reports (i.e. Jan 2nd 4 AM data would be included as part of Jan 1st operational record). | ||
| Unmatched Callers | Total individuals who were not able to be offered a space over the past 24 hours, at time of closeout at 4:00 AM. | ||
| Single Call | Number of unmatched callers who had called Central Intake a single time on this date. | ||
| Repeat Caller | Number of unmatched callers who had called Central Intake two or more times on this date. | ||
| TABLE 2. TSSF DATA FEATURES | |||
| Term5 | Definition5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic homelessness | These are people who meet one of the two following criteria, as per the federal definition of chronic homelessness. The person has recorded a minimum of 180 overnight stay in the past year (365 days); or the person has recurrent overnight stays over the past three years with a cumulative duration of at least 546 nights. | ||
| Youth | These are unaccompanied youth who are between the ages of 16 and 24 by the last date of the reporting month. They are not members of a “family”, which is another term use in these records that refers to individuals who stay in a family designated overnight service. | ||
| Single Adult | An individual who is classified as neither a youth, nor a member of a family | ||
| Refugees | People who identify either as a “refugee” upon intake to the shelter system, or who enter the system via a designated refugee shelter program. It applies to all household members as answered by the head of the household. | ||
| Indigenous | An individual who self-identifies as First Nations (status, non-status, treaty, non-treaty), Metis or Inuit in at least one of the intakes completed in SMIS. | ||
| All Populations | This refers to the total number of individuals represented in the report without any demographic breakdown. | ||
| TABLE 3. DSOSO DATASET CATEGORIES/TERMS | |||
| Term6 | Definition6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| OCCUPANCY DATE | This date refers to the evening of the overnight period being reported. The occupancy data is retrieved at 4:00 AM the following morning (e.g. Jan. 1st, 2024 record => data collected at 4:00 AM Jan. 2nd, 2024). | ||
| SERVICE USER COUNT | The number of service users staying in an overnight program as of the occupancy time and date. Programs with no service user occupancy will not be included in reporting for that day. | ||
| PROGRAM ID | Provides a distinct or unique ID of the program even if the program name changes. | ||
| SECTOR | A category or type of homeless shelter that is based on gender, age and household size of the service user group(s) being served at the shelter site. There are currently 5 shelter sectors in Toronto: (i) adult men, (ii) adult women, (iii) mixed adult (co-ed or all gender), (iv) youth, and (v) family. | ||
| PROGRAM MODEL | Basic classification scheme that divides the shelter program into two groups: (i) Emergency or (ii) Transitional. The Emergency program can be accessed by any individual or family experiencing homelessness with or without a referral, while the Transitional program provides required and/or specialized programming that can be accessed by eligible individuals and families experiencing homelessness by referral only. | ||
| OVERNIGHT SERVICE TYPE |
The types of overnight service being provided include: (i)
Shelter, (ii) 24-Hour Respite, (iii) Motel/Hotel,
(iv) Interim Housing, (v) Warming Centre, (vi) 24-Hour
Women’s Drop-in, and (vi) Isolation/Recovery Site. Shelter: Supervised residential facilities that provide temporary accommodation and related support services to assist people experiencing homelessness to move into housing. Operate year-round. 24-Hour Respite: An allied shelter service which provides essential services to individuals experiencing homelessness in an environment that prioritizes ease of access to safe indoor space. Services provided include resting spaces, meals and service referrals. Operates on a 24/7 basis. Motel/Hotel: A type of shelter program that provides shelter beds/rooms through contracts with hotel and motel operators, which enables the City to expand and contract emergency shelter capacity in response to demand for services. Interim Housing: A type of shelter program that provides interim housing shelter beds through contracts with apartment spaces. Warming Centre: An allied shelter service that provides immediate safe indoor space for people during extreme cold weather alerts. Facilities vary, but often include City of Toronto buildings or community recreation centres. Services vary, depending on the facility, and may include at a minimum resting spaces, snacks and referrals to emergency shelter. Operates on a 24/7 basis for the duration of an extreme cold weather alert. 24-Hour Women’s Drop-in: A type of 24-Hour Respite Site that provides services to women and transgender or gender-non-binary people who are experiencing homelessness. Isolation/Recovery Site: Dedicated isolation and recovery programs with medical supports for people experiencing homelessness to isolate and recover from COVID-19. |
||
| PROGRAM AREA | Identifies either Base Shelter and Overnight Services system programs, or Temporary Response system programs. (i) Base Shelter and Overnight Services System: are intended to be regular, year-round programs. (ii) Base Program - Refugee: are intended to be year-round programs that serve refugee and asylum claimant families and individuals. (iii) Temporary Refugee Response: are intended to create spaces in the overnight services system in order to support refugee and asylum claimant families and individuals. (iv) COVID-19 Response: Programs that are intended to create spaces in the overnight services system in order to support improved physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. (v) Winter Response: are intended to be exclusively dedicated to the provision of additional spaces under winter services plans. Winter service planning may also add additional capacity to existing programs classified in other program areas. | ||
| CAPACITY TYPE | Program provides either room or bed based capacity. (i) Bed Based Capacity: where occupancy is measured at the bed level and typically involve common sleeping areas. (ii)Room Based Capacity: where occupancy is measured at the room level and is typically of family programs or hotel-based programs where sleeping rooms are not shared by people from different households. | ||
| CAPACITY ACTUAL (BED/ROOM) | The number of beds or rooms showing as available for occupancy in the Shelter Management Information System (SMIS). | ||
| CAPACITY FUNDING (BED/ROOM) | The number of rooms or beds that a program has been approved to provide. | ||
| UNAVAILABLE ROOMS/BEDS | The number of beds or rooms that are not currently available in a program. This can include temporarily out-of-service beds due to maintenance, repairs, renovations, outbreaks and pest control (**NOTE: UNAVAILABLE = CAPACITY FUNDING - CAPACITY ACTUAL). | ||
Figure 1: Toronto Central Intake Centre (CIC)
(Current Data: 2020/11/03 - 2024/03/31)
Figure 1. Toronto Central Intake Daily Call Totals. The plotted data, which was taken from the “Central Intake Call Wrap-Up Codes” dataset, provides daily counts of calls answered by Central Intake Centre (CIC). The calls are classified by a caseworker using 13 distinct “wrap-up” codes (i.e. describes general nature of the call). These daily SMIS records are manually updated on a monthly basis. Although the “wrap-up” codes provide information related to the volume and type of calls received, it does not track requests made by unique individuals, nor the ultimate outcomes of referrals.4 Looking at the plotted data it is evident that there has been an overall increase in the number of calls to CIC. Unfortunately it appears that few callers were able to successfully obtain a referral for an overnight sleeping or resting space (colour coded). This low success rate has been particularly pronounced within the last 10 months.
Figure 2: Toronto Central Intake Centre (CIC)
(Current Data: 2020/10/30 - 2024/03/31)
Figure 2. Toronto Central Intake Total Numbers of Daily Unmatched Callers. The plotted data, taken from the monthly updated “Central Intake Service Queue” dataset, provides daily counts of unique individuals who contacted the CIC to access an emergency shelter, but were not matched to a shelter space. The SMIS service queue caller data details when a bed was requested for a caller seeking a shelter space. An unmatched caller (i.e. person not given a referral to an available space that suits their needs at the time of their call) remains in the queue until either they were are provided a referral, or until “close-out” (i.e. 4:00 AM, end of the night). The data only contains three features, namely: (i) date of the call, (ii) total number of Unmatched Callers, and (iii) whether the caller phoned once (i.e. Single Caller) or multiple times (i.e. Repeat Caller).4 Looking at the plotted data it is evident that there has been a steady increase in the number of callers not receiving a referral to an overnight sleeping space or safe shelter despite repeated calls.
Figure 3: Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF)
(SMIS dataset: 2018/01 - 2024/03)
Figure 3. Toronto Shelter System Flow Data Total Numbers. This plot shows the total number of “actively” homeless people according to SMIS records. The TSSF data is only updated on a monthly basis (e.g. recent March 2024 data was updated on April 15th). The data is only based on those people who have used overnight services that are monitored by SMIS (i.e. excludes people who sleep outdoors or who use non-SMIS homeless services). The changing width of the plotted line reflects the changing dynamics of the homeless population over this 6 year period. Clearly the number of homeless people remains high within the GTA. The recent all time high of 11,173 “actively” homeless people for Feb/2024 is currently ebbing somewhat (10,833 Mar/2024). This is perhaps due to the warmer weather as many homeless people often escape the shelter system for safer environs. Although far from complete the TSSF records appear (for some unknown reason) to be more extensive than the DSOSO records since the latter dataset reports fewer homeless people (i.e. 9,748 for Mar 1st, 9,653 for Mar 15th, and 9,687 for Mar 31st 2024). This discrepancy in the number of homeless people is a bit disconcerting given that both datasets are reportedly based on the same SMIS records.
Figure 4: Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF)
(SMIS dataset: 2018/01 - 2024/03)
Figure 4. Demographics of TSSF dataset. The above plot shows the number of “actively” homeless people classified as either (i) Chronically homeless, (ii) a member of a homeless Family, (iii) Indigenous, (iv) a non-refugee, (v) a refugee, (vi) a single adult (> 24 yrs), or a (vii) Youth (16-24 yrs) who is not a member of an homeless family. Like Figure 3, the changing width of the plotted line reflects the changing dynamics of each homeless group. Currently (Mar 2024) the largest homeless demographic group is single adults (Note: 7266 single adults, or 67.1%, compared to 2555 family members, or 23.6%, and 1012 youths, or 9.3%). Adults (> 24 yrs) also make up ~77% (4835/6288) of the chronic homeless population. The homeless refugee population (5805, or 53.6%) slightly out numbers the homeless non-refugee population (5028, or 46.4%).
Figure 5: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Period: 2021/01/01 - 2024/04/21)
Figure 5. Total Shelter Population within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The above plot shows the total number of daily shelter users for the period spanning 2021-01-01 to 2024-04-21. The number of shelter occupants have increased by more than 63% during this time.
Figure 6: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Regional Numbers)
Figure 6. Shelter Population per GTA region. The plot shows the total number of shelter users within different parts of the GTA (i.e. Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Vaughan) for the past ~40 months (2021-01-01 to 2024-04-21). The data reveals that the vast majority of shelter users are currently being housed within Toronto and North York (see Bar graph in Figure 7).
Figure 7: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Regional Numbers: 2024-04-21)
Figure 7. Current Shelter Populations per GTA Region. This bar graph shows the current (2024-04-10) number of shelter occupants within each of the designated GTA regions. Toronto (68.5%) and North York (18.3%) shelter the majority of homeless people, while Scarborough (8.7%), Etobicoke (3.9%), and Vaughan (0.6%) collectively house less than 14% of the homeless population.
Figure 8: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Shelter Sector Numbers)
Figure 8. Homeless Demographics within the GTA Region. The above graph looks at some homeless demographics within the GTA. The number of individuals within each of the designated homeless groups (i.e. men, women, families, Youth and Mixed adults) have rapidly increased over the last 3 years. Also, the size of the Mixed adult population has fluctuated quite dramatically over the past two years. Possible reasons for this may be due to the fluctuating number of designated “mixed adult” shelter spaces. For example, some service providers, like Homes First, are unilaterally transitioning some of their shelter spaces (e.g. Delta Hotel Shelter, Scarborough) to a select homeless population (i.e. refugee only) at the expense of other homeless people (i.e. non-refugees mixed adult population). Note that the fate of the Delta non-refugee homeless population has largely being determined by Ward 22 councillor Nick Mantas, who’s NIMBY motion to rid the Delta shelter of non-refugee residents was passed by Toronto City Council meeting back in Feb 2024.
Figure 9: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Program Model Numbers)
Figure 9. Homeless Population Program Model. The above graph looks at the designated Emergency and Transitional shelter programs within the GTA. According to City of Toronto’s Housing + Homelessness Service Glossary (2019)7 the Emergency Shelter Program constitutes a homeless shelter program that individuals and families can access without a referral. By contrast a Transitional Shelter Program constitutes a homeless program that individuals and families can access only with a referral. The plotted DSOSO data clearly shows that only ~1 out of every 10 homeless individuals have been able to access a referral. This poor referral rate is also evident from the data plotted in Figure 1 and Figure 2.
Figure 10: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Service Type Numbers)
Figure 10. Homeless Overnight Service Types within the GTA. Homeless individuals within the GTA can access different types of overnight services, including: (i) Shelters, (ii) 24-Hour Respites, (iii) Motels/Hotels, (iv) Interim Housing, (v) Warming Centres, (vi) 24-Hour Women’s Drop-ins, and (vii) Isolation/Recovery Sites. There are a few other Service Types offered, but they are ill-defined and accessed by very few people. As of April 21st 2024 the vast majority of Service Types are emergency type Shelter (4845, or 48.9%) and Motel/Hotel (4461, or 45%) services. Unfortunately, services that help homeless people transition to safer and more affordable permanent housing are largely non-existent within the Toronto Shelter system.
Figure 11: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Program Area Numbers)
Figure 11. Homeless Program Area within the GTA. Homeless programs can be categorized as either: (i) Base Shelter, (ii) Base Program - Refugee, (iii) Temporary Refugee Response, (iv) COVID-19 Response, or (v) Winter Response. Generally they can be classified as either regular (i.e. year-round) or temporary programs. The rising numbers of homeless refugees and along with the long-term health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be driving the growing homeless population within the GTA. Even the cyclic Winter Response program, which normally spikes during the cold season, experienced a considerable rise in the number of homeless people during the last winter season.
Figure 12: Homes First - Mixed Adult COVID-19 Program, Delta
Hotel Shelter
(DSOSO: # Occupants)
Figure 13: Homes First - Mixed Adult COVID-19 Program, Delta
Hotel Shelter
(DSOSO: # Unavailable
Rooms)
Figure 12 & 13. Homes First’s Delta Hotel Shelter. These two graphs show the number of rooms at the Delta Hotel Shelter that are either occupied (Figure 12) or unoccupied (Figure 13). Although the number of occupants have been steadily decreasing between Feb 5th to April 4th, the recent influx of refugees has rapidly corrected these falling numbers. The rapid changes in the number of people sheltered at the Delta Hotel over the past 2 months is also reflected in the number of unavailable rooms at the Delta shelter (Figure 13). The fitted Loess (LOcal regrESSion) curve is fairly well defined (i.e. residuals are fairly constant over the chosen range of x values), which suggests “real” trends in the data (e.g. rapid increase in # unavailable rooms between Feb 5th and April 4th, followed by a quick reversal of this trend between April 4th to present). Nevertheless, it is important to note that the overnight Delta Hotel Shelter (Program ID 16011) supervised by Homes First is, according to DSOSO records, a designated mixed adult (Sector) shelter that falls under the emergency COVID-19 Program. So it is by definition not a refugee-only shelter space. According to Homes First, which runs many other additional shelter and supportive housing sites, their mission is to “develop and provide affordable, stable housing and support services to break the cycle of homelessness for people with the fewest housing options”. However, despite the continuing rise in the number of homeless persons in Toronto (Fig. 3,5,8,9), as well as the recent influx of Federal dollars ($162 million) to support the Toronto shelter system, Homes First has unilaterally decided to transition the Delta Hotel Shelter to a refugee only space (i.e. no consultations with residents). Apparently, in accordance with the wishes of local Ward 22 councillor Nick Mantas, the shelter is actively trying to move or evict people from the safety of the shelter. Many have already faced punitive “service restrictions” without any appeals process. Even the recent updated appeals process typically results in the eviction of the client at the end of the restriction period. It is important to note that during the time it takes to resolve the appeal process the client is removed from the shelter and forced to find accommodations on their own (i.e. left homeless). Homes First’s exclusion of the Delta residents from any decision making process, one that directly impacts their immediate and future well being, is both imprudent and overtly punitive in nature. Many residents are afraid that they will be forced to move back onto the streets, or to some unsafe open congregate shelter space. The non-transparent nature of this decision making process has only heightened the homeless residents’ fears, anxiety and distrust of Homes First. This situation has only been exacerbated by the lack of available housing workers who are suppose to be working with the Delta’s homeless residents. The current drive to transition the Delta hotel to a refugee-only shelter, at the expense of the non-refugee homeless population, is perplexing given the recent influx of Federal dollars into the Toronto shelter system.
1. Gaetz, S.; Barr, C.; Friesen, A.; Harris, B.; Hill, C.; Kovacs-Burns, K.; Pauly, B.; Pearce, B.; Turner, A.; Marsolais, A. (2012). Canadian Definition of Homelessness. Toronto: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press. www.homelesshub.ca/homelessdefinition
2. Laird, Gordon (2007). SHELTER - Homelessness in a growth economy: Canada’s 21st century paradox. Report for the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.
3. Gaetz, Stephen (2012). The Real Cost of Homelessness: Can We Save Money by Doing the Right Thing? Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press.
4. City of Toronto (2024). Central Intake Calls (CIC).
5. City of Toronto (2024). Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF).
6. City of Toronto (2024). Daily Shelter and Overnight Service Occupancy and Capacity (DSOSO).
7. City of Toronto - Housing Stability Service System Overview (2019). Housing + Homelessness Service Glossary.